Apology

This is the Doctor Magnetic control room.
We are currently experiencing delays to this blog of up to 24 weeks.
Doctor Magnetic would like to apologise for any incovenience this may cause to your journey through the blogosphere.

"Teenage Dreams, So Hard To Beat."

Like most things musical it was the old man that made me aware of John Peel. I still remember the day vividly, for some reason he was excited about that evening's Top of the Pops - Peel was making one of his rare presenting appearances.
That this event occurred nearly twenty years ago shows how much of a constant the broadcaster has been in my life. It seemed perfectly natural to listen to the show in the way it seems natural for many to support a particular football team. There was no self-discovery of Peel’s show for this listener, no listening to it secretly late at night so as not to wake up parents - as my Dad remarked last night I was probably listening to him in my pram.

So yesterday's news came as a shock. Tuning in for formidable one FM’s tribute show last night felt odd – at the end of each track played I was waiting for that soft, gruff voice with the vaguest hint of a Merseyside accent – and it wasn’t there.
Unique, irreplaceable are words often banded about at times like this. For once I think they may be apt.

Friday - Fun-filled Comic Frivolity

One thing I've learnt over the years of being an ex-internet DJ, some-time cartoonist and (alleged) code monkey, is that now matter how far in advance you plan something, the night before you always end up rushing around like the proverbial azure-bottomed fly.

So anyway, this Friday myself and Baz are off to London for a weekend of comic-filled fun and frivolity (and hopefully sell a few issues of the comics magazine I write for). Now,like the good Virgo that I am, I made sure that we booked tickets in advance, ensured Baz had booked us in a hotel and then sat back - relaxed in the safe knowledge that nothing, no nothing else needed to be done.

I hadn't anticipated on the printers not being able to get the magazine ready until sometime on Friday. Sometime on Friday after the train we are booked on leaves for London. Hmmmm....

Cue a week of frantically re-planning - trying to work out the best and cheapest way of getting us and the magazine down to London - tearing of hair and thinking - why am I putting myself through this - it's meant to be a nice, relaxing hobby.

Then the aforementioned Baz sent me an e-mail this morning. The printers (bless them) have managed to turn the print job round in double-quick time and we should be getting the magazines tomorrow night.

Hurrah!

I was running slightly later than usual today, I hit town just after 9:30 this morning. Its remarkable how the place changes around this time. Everyone seems so much more relaxed, no one is panicking about getting to work on time - they're either already really late (in which case what's a few more minutes going to make - may as well stop off for a coffee and a muffin on the way) or they don't have to be anywhere in particular at any particular time. It brought to mind the feeling I used to get when rounding the chickens up at night as a young Doctor Magnetic, an insane half hour of running around and then silence.

All in all a much more civilised way of going to work - oh yeah, and off-peak fares are alot cheaper.

News of the impending (well, October/November) release of Redeye 3 is starting to appear on comic-related newsites (well, 1)  around the web - promising a couple of articles that I'm scheduled to write. I suppose I'd best get on and finish them then.

Once again I'm finding myself with things to do piling up, this seems to be my natural state of being - so I really should learn to accept it and carry on. However, if I hope for any success at being an ex-internet DJ, some-time cartoonist and (alleged) code monkey then I really should get round to ticking some of the items off my rapidly expanding to-do list.
First on the list are several comic reviews for the rather wonderful magazine, Redeye edited by the equally wonderful Baz Renshaw. The feedback on those I did recently has been very inspiring so I really should crack on with the those for the next issue.
Next, and probably of equal importance, is a outline for a six page strip that the aforementioned Baz will be drawing. I'm intending to get this to him by the end of the week. Its only six pages, shouldn't be too difficult.
Finally, I really want to knuckle down and do some of my own work - there are several ideas floating around the ol' noggin that need putting down on paper - just to prove to myself that I am at least semi-serious about this cartooning lark.
There's also been some talk of writing a report on the Comics Festival I attended recently in Bristol. Really I should do that soon, before I forget what happened.

So last week I found myself at a workshop for the End of Story competition those lovely people at the BBC have organised and left fully intending to submit an entry. Currently there are only two things standing in my way of this. The first is to decide which of the eight stories to finish and then actually write the darn thing. As usual procrastination rules supreme and I haven't even reached the first hurdle let alone cleared it. Oh well, I've got until the end of the month.

Avoidance was compounded by the arrival of Persepolis in the post towards the end of last week along with the complete Peanuts and Barefoot's new tome, Manifesto. I devoured Persepolis Sunday afternoon and found it as wonderful and moving as everyone has claimed. Its an exiting time for comics at the moment with lots of wonderful books such as this appearing in hight street book shops. Its saddens me slightly that there is no fostering of new homegrown talent and that the publishers are relying on established works from America and France, but at the end of the day its great to see this material published since good comics are good comics regardless of where they come from.